What happens when you block an android number on iphone

Image for article titled What Happens When You Block Someone on Your iPhone?

Photo: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)

Have you ever wanted to block someone on your iPhone but wondered what actually happens when you do? You can block contacts through your Messages, FaceTime, and Phone apps, and blocking a contact in one app will block them across the board. However, blocking doesn’t prevent someone from trying to reach you—and they won’t get a notification that they’ve been blocked, so they might start to wonder why you aren’t answering their messages.

  • Off
  • English

You’re blocking them, though, so you probably don’t care too much about that last part. So here’s how to block someone on your iPhone—and where those messages go (or don’t go).

How to block someone in iPhone Messages

To block a number in Messages, open the conversation, tap the contact’s name, number, or image at the top of the screen, and hit the “i” info icon. Tap the name or number again and scroll down to the bottom of the contact screen to “Block this Caller.”

When a blocked number tries to send you a text message, it won’t go through. If they’re on iOS, they might not even see the “delivered” note in their Messages app—though it’s possible they’ll see your chat bubble turn from blue (iMessage) to green (SMS). You’ll see nothing on your end.

Image
for article titled What Happens When You Block Someone on Your iPhone?

Screenshot: Emily Long

Messages also has an option to filter texts from senders who aren’t in your Contacts list. You’ll still get the messages, but they’ll be delivered to a separate “Unknown Senders” inbox. You also won’t see notifications for these texts.

Image for article titled What Happens When You Block Someone on Your iPhone?

Screenshot: Emily Long

The Unknown Senders tab will appear alongside a “Contacts & SMS” tab in Messages if you enable this feature (Settings > Messages > Filter Unknown Senders).

Image for article titled What Happens When You Block Someone on Your iPhone?

Screenshot: Emily Long

How to block someone from calls and FaceTime

To block a number in the Phone or FaceTime, tap the “i” info icon next to the number or contact and hit “Block this Caller” on the contact screen.

You can manage your blocked contacts in Settings > Phone (or Messages or FaceTime) on your iPhone. Unblock numbers at any time to resume receiving messages, calls and notifications.

Image for
article
titled What Happens When You Block Someone on Your iPhone?

Screenshot: David Murphy

Calls from blocked contacts go directly to voicemail. On your end, you’ll see a special “Blocked Messages” folder in your voicemail inbox if they leave a message (found at the bottom of your voicemail message list). You won’t receive any notification they called, however.


This story was originally published in 2016 by Thorin Klosowski and was later updated by Emily Long. It was updated again on Oct. 29, 2021 to meet current Lifehacker style guidelines.

Will an Android user know if I blocked them?

You can't know for sure if someone has blocked your number on an Android without asking the person. However, if your Android's phone calls and texts to a specific person don't seem to be reaching them, your number might have been blocked.

How can an iPhone user know if and Android user blocked you?

It's the same as an iPhone, but without the “delivered” notification (or lack thereof) to clue you in. “The simplest way to tell if you have been blocked by an Android user is to call,” Lavelle says. Just like with an iPhone, listen for it to be diverted to voicemail or play you a pre-recorded message.

Can iPhone users block Android texts?

The short answer is Yes — You can block texts on iPhone and on Android. But if we were to compare, blocking spam messages on Android is more effective than on iOS.

What happens when you block an Android user?

Simply put, after you block a number, that caller can no longer reach you. Phone calls do not ring through to your phone, and text messages are not received or stored.